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Gaymer
Gaymer and gay gamer are umbrella terms used to refer to the group of people who are identified as homosexual and have an active interest in video games or tabletop games, also known as gamers. Bisexual and transgender gamers are often categorized under this term.[citation needed]
This demographic has been the subject of two large surveys that attracted press coverage: by Jason Rockwood in 2006, who noted the level of prejudice that gaymers endure, and by Paul Nowak in 2009 focusing on what gaymers expect of video games. A gaming convention oriented to LGBTQ gaming and geek culture, GaymerX, first took place on August 3 and 4, 2013, in San Francisco.
Chris Vizzini, owner of the gaming site Gaymer.org, was involved with a controversy and legal dispute over the trademark of the term gaymer, which ended when Vizzini surrendered the right to the term and the trademark was cancelled.[citation needed] In recent years, more and more representation of gaymer culture can be seen and predominantly featured in video game studios worldwide.
In 2006, a sociological study at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign looked at the gay gamer subgroup focusing on the profile of a "gaymer", and concerns they have regarding the perception of them in the gaming community and visibility of gay characters in games. The study's author noted the level of prejudice that gaymers endure: "Gay gamers experience a double edged sword of prejudice... The mainstream gay culture and media is not supportive of video games. Then you have the video game culture that is not supportive of gay culture. So you have these people stuck in the middle who have this double edged prejudice." With about 10,000 respondents the survey exhibited a reverse bell curve of gamer sexuality, with most people identifying as either completely heterosexual or homosexual. Only a "very small minority" of the respondents to the first survey supported the use of the term gaymer.
In late August 2009, Full Sail University student Paul S. Nowak began a second survey of gaymer play preferences. The survey focused on "questions of content such as plot, genre, customization and other in-game experiences."
The survey team reported that over 7000 people participated in the survey. The results of Nowak's survey were used by Nowak to "build a profile of the gay gamer community and gain unique insight into this financially untapped demographic". These results were not published in an academic journal, though a later Nowak's book lists gaymers as preferring role-playing video games, pertaining to the hardcore explorer/achiever gamer type, and appreciating good plot and good quality homosexual content, which he defines as game content "which reflects homosexual orientation in a positive or equal-to-heterosexual-orientation context".
The misconception that young, white, heterosexual males were the force driving the industry forward was strongly challenged by the record-breaking success of The Sims. Video game developer Maxis had resisted Will Wright's goal of creating the title on the grounds that "girls don't play video games." The title was seen as unappealing to young heterosexual males. In the 1990s, the industry began to make some effort to market games to women by creating software titles with strong, independent female characters.
Even some games that are considered to appeal mainly to the non-traditional demographic continue to censor homosexuality. But some video game companies are now moving to further expand their marketing base to include the perceived market of affluent gaymers by including LGBT characters and supporting LGBT rights. Critics of the suppression of gay identity often conclude that, as homosexuality is normalized in broader culture, it will be in video games as well.
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Gaymer AI simulator
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Gaymer
Gaymer and gay gamer are umbrella terms used to refer to the group of people who are identified as homosexual and have an active interest in video games or tabletop games, also known as gamers. Bisexual and transgender gamers are often categorized under this term.[citation needed]
This demographic has been the subject of two large surveys that attracted press coverage: by Jason Rockwood in 2006, who noted the level of prejudice that gaymers endure, and by Paul Nowak in 2009 focusing on what gaymers expect of video games. A gaming convention oriented to LGBTQ gaming and geek culture, GaymerX, first took place on August 3 and 4, 2013, in San Francisco.
Chris Vizzini, owner of the gaming site Gaymer.org, was involved with a controversy and legal dispute over the trademark of the term gaymer, which ended when Vizzini surrendered the right to the term and the trademark was cancelled.[citation needed] In recent years, more and more representation of gaymer culture can be seen and predominantly featured in video game studios worldwide.
In 2006, a sociological study at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign looked at the gay gamer subgroup focusing on the profile of a "gaymer", and concerns they have regarding the perception of them in the gaming community and visibility of gay characters in games. The study's author noted the level of prejudice that gaymers endure: "Gay gamers experience a double edged sword of prejudice... The mainstream gay culture and media is not supportive of video games. Then you have the video game culture that is not supportive of gay culture. So you have these people stuck in the middle who have this double edged prejudice." With about 10,000 respondents the survey exhibited a reverse bell curve of gamer sexuality, with most people identifying as either completely heterosexual or homosexual. Only a "very small minority" of the respondents to the first survey supported the use of the term gaymer.
In late August 2009, Full Sail University student Paul S. Nowak began a second survey of gaymer play preferences. The survey focused on "questions of content such as plot, genre, customization and other in-game experiences."
The survey team reported that over 7000 people participated in the survey. The results of Nowak's survey were used by Nowak to "build a profile of the gay gamer community and gain unique insight into this financially untapped demographic". These results were not published in an academic journal, though a later Nowak's book lists gaymers as preferring role-playing video games, pertaining to the hardcore explorer/achiever gamer type, and appreciating good plot and good quality homosexual content, which he defines as game content "which reflects homosexual orientation in a positive or equal-to-heterosexual-orientation context".
The misconception that young, white, heterosexual males were the force driving the industry forward was strongly challenged by the record-breaking success of The Sims. Video game developer Maxis had resisted Will Wright's goal of creating the title on the grounds that "girls don't play video games." The title was seen as unappealing to young heterosexual males. In the 1990s, the industry began to make some effort to market games to women by creating software titles with strong, independent female characters.
Even some games that are considered to appeal mainly to the non-traditional demographic continue to censor homosexuality. But some video game companies are now moving to further expand their marketing base to include the perceived market of affluent gaymers by including LGBT characters and supporting LGBT rights. Critics of the suppression of gay identity often conclude that, as homosexuality is normalized in broader culture, it will be in video games as well.